jamgrl's Reviews (197)

I loved this one again, as I loved the first one, though I’ll admit I felt somewhat dissatisfied at the end. 

It did everything it promised and more- we got to continue the the Reverend Poole imposter plot and get inside X’s head, we got to see our team of unlikely friends plot and figure out what to do, we got to see A interact with someone like them and learn more about themself through that, complicating their goals, we got to see them imagine a romance with Rhiannon, including really sweet dates and a lot of introspection from both characters, we even got insight into even more people like A and all the different ways that life could go. 

There was a very minor side plot romance that kinda stole the show for me, ngl, but I did really enjoy being with A again. We get to see A be more mature in this book and some of the conversations about identity are a bit firmer and perhaps a little more up to date in terms of language (this book came out a while after the first one, so maybe that’s why). 


(Spoilers ahead)

I think I was dissatisfied because the relationships between Rhiannon and both Alexander and A felt unresolved. Like, Alexander never finds out about A and Rhiannon never really breaks up with him, which strikes me as odd. I get that A is supposed to have come to terms with their life, but I would have liked to see A have more of a community that what I feel they are left with at the end.

Overall, I am glad I continued the series. I love these characters and loved seeing more of them.

It feels ridiculous to rate and review this book given the concept of the book. I’ll just say, this was a soft and thoughtful book, unafraid to go to dark places but still somehow able to come out inspiring. In fact, the darkness and vulnerability spilled out in this book are what made it inspiring. We live in dark times and this book doesn’t try to tell us to ignore that. I read this before work or during lunch and it reminded me to slow down and think about life. It was comforting and emotional and powerful.

This was really fun. I love witchy stuff, but what is really cool about this book  is that, rather than being from a line of witches like I feel is a typical witchy narrative, Sideways comes into magic and witchery and we as readers both get to uncover how and learn with her the mysteries of magic and witch society that she has not been privy to.

This book has a lot of personality and I really enjoyed the friendships formed between the main girls. I like that this book subverts mean girl tropes. There is also a sincerity and silliness to the characters that makes me really enjoy being with them. I also loved Sideways and her navigation of relationships and isolation.

We don’t get a whole lot with Sideways’s dads, but I love their vibe and their cute store.

The book teases mysteries and hierarchies that I look forward to learning more about in later books.